The present invention relates to electric trolling motors for boats and, more particularly, to an apparatus for mounting an outboard trolling motor to a boat for moving the motor between a horizontal stowed position in the boat and a vertical operating position in the water.
Small electric trolling motors are well known in the art and have been used for many years to provide slow speed movement and maneuverability for various types of small watercraft. In most cases, the boat or other watercraft utilizing an electric trolling motor will have a larger internal combustion engine, such as an outboard motor, as its primary source of motive power. Thus, trolling motors are usually used only to provide slow speed action to baits or lures trolled behind the boat, to maneuver the boat into position, or to maintain the boat in position against drifting or movement in a current.
When not in use, an electric trolling motor is usually raised out of the water by pivoting on its mount and allowing it to lie in a generally horizontal position in or on the boat. Two types of electric trolling motors are in common use, namely, deck-mounted and transom-mounted motors. A deck-mounted motor is usually attached to the forward horizontal deck and includes a specially designed pivotal support apparatus for moving the motor between its operative and stowed positions and holding it in either of the selected positions. Examples of such support apparatus for deck-mounted motors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,500 and 4,410,161. The earlier patent discloses a pivotal arm interconnecting the motor and a deck bracket, which arm is adapted to rotate through a 180.degree. arc to carry the motor between the two positions. The support arm also includes an internal gear mechanism to rotate the motor axially for proper orientation in the operative and stowed positions, as well as to lock the motor in these positions. The latter patent shows a pivotal linkage by which the motor is attached to a deck bracket, which linkage is similarly rotatable through a 180.degree. arc to move the motor between its horizontal stowed and vertical operating positions. Although the apparatus described in each of the foregoing patents has operated satisfactorily and gained wide acceptance, the mechanical gearing and linkages are complex and the apparatus somewhat cumbersome to operate.